Spalding's Official Bicycle Guide (1897)

A meet-by-meet narrative recap of the 1896 American racing season from Oakland to Washington, tracking the performances of professional stars such as Cooper, Bald, Gardiner, Sanger and the Butler brothers, with a points-and-finishes summary table and the author's assessment of each leading rider.

Reproduces an interview in which Tom Cooper disputes the official points-and-percentage system used to rank the season's champion, arguing that his total winnings and head-to-head wins over E. C. Bald should give him supremacy.

An instructional treatise by English hill climber F. L. Wale on the technique of climbing on a bicycle, stressing balance, weight over the pedals and ankle action, followed by a discussion of coasting-race experiments with air resistance, weight in the rims and riding position, plus a few road-safety tips.

A veteran English cyclist's advice on preparing for and conducting a cycle tour, covering training up, choice of dress and kit, daily mileage and meal routine, then appended with the 1896 intercollegiate championship results and a discussion of bicycle saddles from a medical standpoint.

An essay by F. J. Titus on long-distance and paced riding that explains the air resistance, chain and machine resistance and horsepower involved at racing speeds, and gives methods for training and pacing toward record attempts such as the one-hour ride.

Sets out the principles of training and general health, with rules on rising, bathing, diet, food quantities and exercise, plus sections on selecting and caring for a mount, the rule and law of the road, and some useful riding hints.

Tables of track records as accepted by the L. A. W. in December 1896, listing professional and amateur best times by distance under various conditions including flying and standing starts, paced and unpaced, competition, and tandem.

A compilation of road records accepted by the Century Road Club of America, including national and state records by distance, tandem records, best individual mileage and century totals for the year, century course records, city-to-city records and American hour records.